Scott Weiland Open To Velvet Revolver Reunion

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Scott Weiland said that he was open to a possible Velvet Revolver reunion. Weiland will be married to photographer Jamie Wachtel in the spring, and he’ll also begin a five date US tour starting November 25 in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

On staying busy: “As far as making music and creating art, I’m extremely excited that I have found a way, with the people I work with in my solo band, to be able make money, and we’ve done so on tours with the east coast and the west coast. Whereas before, when it was with my first record or my second solo album, we were losing money or barely breaking even . . . And you have to realize, touring is how we make a living now. It’s not like country music in Nashville or for certain people in hip-hop and R&B. In rock & roll, we have to tour. It’s kind of back to the old sort of vaudeville thing. The fact that we’ve been able to do this is amazing, and the whole plan is to bring this to the world stage. And now, we’re going into Latin America and South America. It’s just growing. That was my dream from the beginning, and now it’s being realized.”

On his solo band, Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts, making a new studio album: “I would probably say yes, it will get started in 2013. That’s one of the great things of owning your own studio. Along with my guitar player-keyboard player-computer programmer, Doug Grean, the crazy scientist – he’s a brilliant person and someone that has been one of my best friends for many years. And, ironically, someone that I met on my first day that I ever went to rehab, when I was 23 years old. His brother was my roommate. So we’ve been friends for a very long time . . . The guys in my band are amazing.”

On a Velvet Revolver reunion: “I am completely open to it, and I know there are other guys in the band that are completely open to it. There have been some things that have stood in the way that aren’t anything that have to do with the band – just other players, whether it be agents . . . But now we’re sorting through things, and we want to start writing for some big film opportunities that have come our way, and try to set things up the way we set things up when we initially got together. I think it’s the perfect time for Velvet Revolver to get back together. Slash has done some great things, and I look forward to the opportunity to seeing him on my left and seeing Duff McKagan – who, in my opinion, is without a doubt one of the greatest rock & roll and punk rock bass players of all time. And is still in amazing shape – is more ripped than just about any 25-year-old on the planet. And with Matt [Sorum] and Dave [Kushner] as well, who are just incredible musicians. I think that’s exciting to look forward to. It’s the old cliché, ‘If the gods of rock want it to happen, then it will.'”

On Stone Temple Pilots taking a break: “I think we kind of overplayed ourselves by playing the same set over and over. I think the band needs to take some time off and be creative again. I always felt that our creativity and the growth we made within making records as artists was equally as important as we were as a live band. The transformation from Core to where we ended up before we took that time off, when I started with Velvet Revolver, was enormous. I think we need to get back to that. I don’t think that touring consistently with a greatest hits package gets you anywhere. It diminishes things.”

On his Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team doing well: Notre Dame just won 38-0. So they’re 11-0, and all they have to do is beat USC next week in Los Angeles, and hope that either Kansas State or Oregon loses, and they’ll be playing in the national championship game.”